Angus & Julia Stone

Angus & Julia Stone are a brother-sister duo from Newport on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia.

Their first EP, Chocolates and Cigarettes, was released in 2006 in Australia with the record label EMI and in the UK with independent label Independiente. They have since released a second EP Heart Full Of Wine. Their debut album A Book Like This was released late 2007 in Australia with EMI and in the UK and Europe with Flock Music.

History

Hailing from the northern beaches of Sydney, Australia, Angus & Julia Stone form two halves of a brother/sister folk musical act.

Angus and Julia began to collaborate on their musical endeavours in early 2006. Prior to that, both had performed as solo artists, principally at open mike nights, but with each using the other as a backing partner. In terms of composing material, they write on their own, then work together on structure and harmonies.

Both Angus and Julia have distinctive vocal styles. The Sydney Morning Herald's Bernard Zuel described their vocals as such: "Her voice has a fractured feel like Jolie Holland; his has a smoke-on-the-beach drawl." UK journalist Johnny Sharp stated, "Most impressive, though, are the songs - simple but blindingly effective acoustic compositions, warm boy-girl harmonies and delicate, less-is-more arrangements. Resistance is surely futile."

In 2006, Angus and Julia played several festivals across Australia, including The Great Escape and Splendour in the Grass and Big Day Out. They later toured the UK to promote the release of their EP, which sold 35,000 copies.

Whilst in the UK in the latter part of the year, they were invited into Chris Potter's studio (The Verve/Richard Ashcroft) to record. In the meantime, Fran Healy from UK band Travis heard their debut EP and also invited them to his house to record. The resulting EP, Heart Full of Wine, was released in February 2007. Julia also provided backing vocals for the track "Battleships" on Travis's 2007 album, The Boy with No Name.

2007 saw the release of the debut album, A Book Like This. A Book Like This has gone gold in Australia. The album has been released in the UK and across Europe.

Angus & Julia currently divide their time between Australia and the UK they have toured nationwide around Australia and gigged extensively in the UK and Ireland, including support slots with The Magic Numbers and a winning display at The Latitude Festival. A successful UK tour supporting Newton Faulkner and supporting David Gray was book-ended their own sold-out London shows.

Mitchell Connelly, the band's drummer and percussionist, also acts as the band's official photographer. His brother, who works under the name IOSHVA, maintains their website and produces their artwork. The band also directs their own videos along with their friends at Nippard Productions.

Giorgio Armani sampled "Paper Aeroplane" for his 2008-09 winter collection runway.

Discography

Albums

• A Book Like This (2007)

EPs

• Chocolates and Cigarettes (2006)
• Heart Full of Wine (2007)
• The Beast (2007)

Singles

• "Paper Aeroplane" – 2006
• "Wasted" – 2007
• "The Beast" – 2007
• "Just A Boy" – 2008

References

2. http://www.angusandjuliastone.com

3. http://musichead.com.au/site/artist.asp?actID=166741

4. http://www.musictimes.com.au/angus-and-julia-stone/

5. http://www.ilike.com/artist/Angus+%2526+Julia+Stone

6. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23702347-5003421,00.html

7. http://www.inthenews.co.uk/inconversation/entertainment/music/whos-next/angus-and-julia-stone-simplicity-beats-sibling-troubles-$1217610.htm

8. http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2008/05/25/2254929.htm

9. http://www.theage.com.au/news/gig-previews--reviews/angus--julia-stone/2007/10/16/1192300745813.html

External links

• Angus and Julia Stone Official Website
• Angus and Julia Stone MySpace site
• Some photos from July 2007 gig at Manchester's Night & Day venue
• Profile of Angus and Julia Stone at The Music Magazine
• http://www.giorgioarmani.com/ga_menu/EN/home.html